Mr WEE had an illustrious career in the Education Service spanning 40 years. He joined the Education Service as a teacher in 1964 and rose to become a principal in 1971. He served as principal of Dunearn Secondary School, Temasek Junior College and National Junior College. He was appointed Director-General of Education in December 1996.

Mr WEE has contributed significantly to the advancement of education in Singapore. As the Director-General of Education, he put in place many initiatives that had lasting impact on education in Singapore. He played a key role in the formulation of the "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" vision, the introduction of National Education in schools and the enhancement of teaching using IT through the Masterplan for IT in Education. He also led the introduction of the School Excellence Model to help schools strive towards excellence in various fields. More recently, Mr WEE played pivotal roles in the review of Mother Tongue languages, the introduction of compulsory education and the review of junior college and upper secondary education.

Mr WEE also served on a number of statutory boards and councils such as the National University of Singapore Council, the National Institute of Education Council and the Institute of Technical Education Board of Governors.

"In 1959, The University of Singapore (predecessor of NUS) took in the first batch of 36 students from Chinese schools. I was one of them and have benefited from this move to provide equal opportunities for all. NUS has never stopped to innovate and re-make itself so that it can serve Singapore better".